dropsonde

A dropsonde is a type of radiosonde that is dropped from an aircraft. It is a disposable instrument package containing various sensors designed to measure atmospheric parameters as it falls. These parameters typically include temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind speed. The dropsonde is equipped with a parachute to ensure a slow and controlled descent, allowing for accurate data collection over a significant vertical profile of the atmosphere.

The data collected by a dropsonde is transmitted wirelessly to the aircraft or a ground station in real-time. This information is crucial for weather forecasting, particularly for understanding the structure of storms and the atmosphere's stability. Dropsondes are frequently deployed from research aircraft or military reconnaissance planes during severe weather events, such as hurricanes and typhoons. They are also used in climate research and for improving the accuracy of numerical weather prediction models.

The development of dropsondes has significantly enhanced our ability to observe the atmosphere in remote or data-sparse regions, where fixed weather stations are not feasible. Their deployment allows meteorologists to obtain detailed vertical soundings that are vital for both understanding current weather conditions and predicting future atmospheric behavior.